Apparatus for applying sealing elements to closures



3 Sheets-Sheet Jl E. W. MERRILL Aug. 2, 1966 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SEALING ELEMENTS TO CLOSURES Filed Oct, 20, 1964 FIG.

E. W. MERRILL Aug. 2,1966

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SEALING ELEMENTS TO CLOSURES 5 Sheets-.Sheet 2 Filed OCT..

FIG.2

Aug. 2, 1966 E. W. MERRILL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SEALING ELEMENTS TO CLOSURES Filed OCI.. 20, 1964 FIGA- 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent O 3,263,318 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SEALING ELEMENTS T CLOSURES Edward W. Merrill, Belmont, Mass., assignor to W. R.

Grace & Co., Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Oct. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 405,205 2 Claims. (Cl. 29--212) This invention relates to means for placing strip seal rings on jars.

Strip-seal rings are rings of elastic, distortable, sealing material. They surround the neck and are supported by the bead of the jar which, in this instance, has a flat top face extending outwardly from the jar neck and thus forms a shoulder on which the strip seal rests and against which it may be compressed as the skirt of the jar closure is either pushed or screwed down into its jar-sealing position. Frequently, strip-seals are provided with a tab which may be grasped and pulled. Pulling stretches and thins l the seal and breaks the hermetic seal as the strip-seal is pulled out from between the lower margin of the cap and the bead on the jar.

In order for a strip-seal to seal a jar tightly, it is necessary that the material be distortable so that the margin of the closure may bed into it. It is also necessary that the material be elastic so that it may pass over the threads or leads on the exterior jar finish and thereafter retract to hug the neck of the jar tightly.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a device which will apply strip-seals to the necks of jars quickly and easily and to avoid what otherwise is a somewhat diflicult and time-consuming operation.

In brief, the device includes a barrel which holds a stack or rings on its lower exterior surface. The interior diameter of the barrel just slips over the leads at the mouth of the jar. A pusher cylinder, which surrounds the barrel and surmounts the stack of rings, is moved downwardly by a rack-and-pawl mechanism. Since each advance of the pusher cylinder equals the thickness of one ring, the lowermost ring is pushed off the end of the barrel whenever the device operates, and since the ring at this time is already approximately in its nal position, it snaps into contact with the neck and lies flatly against the bead.

The device may best be described by reference to the drawings in which FIG. l is an elevation having a cut-away showing certain parts in section;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the device positioned on a jar having a strip-seal form of bead;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The device comprises an exterior or pusher cylinder 11, a strip-seal ring-holding cylinder or barrel 12, a ratchet cylinder 13, and a guide cylinder 23. Cylinder 12 slip-lits within cylinder 11. Similarly, cylinder 13 slip-lits within cylinder 12. Barrel cylinder 12, the lower internal diameter of which is proportioned to the jar on which it is intended to be used, is formed with a thin, cylindrical, tapered bottom portion 14. The internal wall is slightly tapered to allow it to pass easily over the lead 15 of the jar. Barrel cylinder 12 is shouldered at 16 and is held in position by locking ring 17 which is screwed on to the lower threaded portion 18 of the ratchet cylinder 13. Both the interior and the exterior walls of barrel cylinder 12 are covered with a coating 20 of polytetrauoroethylene about .003 of an inch thick. The lower portion of the exterior wall of ratchet cylinder 13 is cut away to form a recess 19 which houses a helical spring 21. Barrel cylinder 12 and ratchet cylinder 13 `are provided with 0pposed interfering shoulders 12a and 13a. These shoulders 3,263,318 Patented August 2, 1966 lCC limit the possible motion of the barrel cylinder. The maximum distance between the two shoulders is slightly more than the thickness of one strip-seal ring-in this instance, 0.075 inch. Pusher cylinder 11 is capped by the topplate 22 which, in turn, supports the innermost or guide cylinder 23 which is suspended from the head plate 22 by the bolts 24-24 or other appropriate fastening means.

The lower extent of guide cylinder 23 is slotted. The two diametrically opposite slots 25-25 permit the toggle bars 26-26 to ride downwardly as the stack of rings is pushed oit barrel cylinder 12. The far ends 27--27 of the toggles 26 enter two short slots or recesses 28--28 cut in the `barrel cylinder 12 `adjacent its top margin. The fulcrums of the toggles 26 lie at the points 29-29 formed `at the juncture of the horizontal and angular portions of the top face 31 of the ratchet cylinder 13. The inner ends of the toggle arms are pinned at 32 to the plunger 33 which projects through the top plate 22 and -through a cross bar 34. Posts 35--35 threaded into the top face of ratchet cylinder 13 extend through bores formed in the top plate 22 and corresponding bores in cross bar 34. Helical springs 36-36 pushing on top plate 22 force the pusher cylinder 11 downwardly on the stack 37 of stripseal rings. Two short slots 38-38 are cut in the exterior face of guide cylinder 23 and positioned at right angles to the toggle bar slots 25. Slots 38 house the spring-pressed pawls 39-39 which engage the ratchet teeth 41-41 formed on the inner wall of ratchet cylinder 13.

In operation, a stack of strip-seal rings, distended sufciently to t over the exterior of the barrel, is pushed off a disposable core and onto the exterior of the barrel cylinder 12. The device is then placed over the mou-th of a jar as illustrated in FIG. 2. When plunger 33 is pressed, the toggles rock downwardly about the fulcrum points 29 and push ratchet cylinder 13 downward one ratchet notch. Since the pawls 39 lock in the next lower position of the ratchet teeth 41, the effect upon the release of pressure is to raise barrel cylinder 12 drawing it upwardly, in this particular instance, .0070 of an inch (the spacing of the ratchet teeth), and hence each upward movement of the Ibarrel cylinder 12 must correspond to slightly more than the thickness of a single ring of the stack 37. As the barrel cylinder 12 moves upwardly, ring 42, which is now free to contract radially inward, pulls past the end 43 of the barrel cylinder 12 and snaps against the exterior wall 44 of the jar 45 (see FIG. 2) with a result that ring 42, now properly seated on the upper surface 46 of the jar bead 47, is in position. Closures placed over the mouth of the jar and screwed down by following the downward lead 48 will be bedded in ring 42. Although screw caps are commonly used with ring seals, straight press-on closures are also useful.

The device' may be quickly loaded with a stack of the ring seals which slip easily over the polytetrafluoroethylene coating. The antifriction coating on both inner and outer walls of barrel cylinder 12 provides an easy, smooth, non-sticking action. The jars may be tted with seals as quickly as the jars can be brought under the device and the plunger can be pushed down.

I claim:

1. A device for applying strip-seal rings to the necks of jars comprising a hollow cylinder, a barrel cylinder adapted to hold a stack of strip-seal rings having an internally tapered lower end adapted to fit over the mouth portion of a jar, said barrel cylinder being slip-fitted within the cylinder first named, a ratchet cylinder having its upper face shaped to form a fulcrum and having ratchet teeth in its inner wall, toggles having their working ends socketed in said barrel cylinder, a top plate, means to support said ratchet cylinder from said top plate, pawls engaging said ratchet teeth, pawl support means, and

plunger means to rock the toggles, whereby, upon each reciprocation of the plunger, the barrel cylinder is drawn upwardly one ratchet tooth, and a ring ris released from the end of the device.

2. A device for applying strip-seal rings to the necks of jars, said device having outer barrel ratchet and guide cylinders slip-tted one within the other in the order named, the said Ibarrel cylinder being externally and internally coated with a polymeric antifriction coating and adapted to hold a stack of strip-seal rings on its exterior surface, and means to cause the ring-by-ring release of a stack of rings placed on said barrel cylinder including a toggle fulcrurned on the top surface of said ratchet cylinder, pawls in said guide cylinder and ratchet teeth in said upon the toggle, said barrel cylinder is drawn upward one ring thickness, and a ring is released from the end of the barrel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,672,593 6/1928 Williams 29-212 X 2,598,325 5/1952 Weekes 29-212 X .3,144,707 8/ 1964 Hiestand 29-203 FOREIGN PATENTS 642,994 9/ 1950 Great Britain.

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

ratchet cylinder whereby upon the release of pressure 15 THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR APPLYING STRIP-SEAL RINGS TO THE NECKS OF JARS COMPRISING A HOLLOW CYLINDER, A BARREL CYLINDER ADAPTED TO HOLD A STACK OF STRIP-SEAL RINGS HAVING AN INTERNALLY TAPERED LOWER END ADAPTED TO FIT OVER THE MOUTH PORTION OF A JAR, SAID BARREL CYLINDER BEING SLIP-FITTER WITHIN THE CYLINDER FIRST NAMED, A RATCHET CYLINDER HAVING ITS UPPER FACE SHAPED TO FORM A FULCRUM AND HAVING RATCHET TEETH IN ITS INNER WALL, TOGGLES HAVING THEIR WORKING ENDS SOCKETED IN SAID BARREL CYLINDER, A TOP PLATE, MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID RATCHET CYLINDER FROM SAID TOP PLATE, PAWLS ENGAGING SAID RATCHET TEETH, PAWL SUPPORT MEANS, AND PLUNGER MEANS TO ROCK THE TOGGLES, WHEREBY, UPON EACH RECIPROCATION OF THE PLUNGER, THE BARREL CYLINDER IS DRAWN UPWARDLY ONE RATCHET TOOTH, AND A RING IS RELEASED FROM THE END OF THE DEVICE. 